The difficulty of providing access to users within interconnected computer systems is generally known. One or more interconnected computers are typically required whenever the task is too large for a single computer or where specific tasks are provided by different independent systems and the activities of the computers must be coordinated.
Automatic call distributors (ACDs) are an example of such a situation. ACDs are typically used by telemarketers and/or service providers and are typically provided with a host computer that makes and receives calls.
Within the ACD, workforce management, and performance optimization systems (operating within an ACD or otherwise) are examples of the different tasks that may be distributed over a number of hosts. In addition to making and receiving calls, the host of an ACD may also act as a repository of customer records.
In order to reduce telephone costs, telemarketers often locate a number of ACDs of an ACD system near major metropolitan areas. However, during periods of overload calls may be handled through any ACD of the ACD system. As a result, the host or hosts of each ACD must be accessible from any agent station throughout the system.
While the interconnecting of hosts of ACDs works relatively well, the problem of access is difficult to administer. The difficulty often arises because of the need for security and because of a need of a user to access many different databases. Often the only way of providing access to the user into different databases of the system is to manually save a name and password of the user into each different host.
The need for the manual entry of authorization data to gain access to the different databases is slow and cumbersome. Because of the importance of ACDs and of interconnected computers, a need exists for a better method of providing access rights to users within such computer system.